An Unearthly Child
by MickeyTheOwl
Summary: Set several months after Loose Ends by Lena86. The Doctor and Rose, living a life day after day in a not so typical fashion. Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This follows on from Lena86's Loose Ends (itself a sequel to Burning up a Sun) and is set several months after that fic. Both Burning up a Sun and Loose Ends should be read first in order for this to make sense. _

* * *

><p>'No. Definitely not. Not happening.'<p>

The Doctor stared at her, watching as she folded her arms over her chest, thought better of it, and extended them so she was blocking the TARDIS doors.

He sighed. 'Rose, I'm not going to idly stand by and let the Arachni destroy that village. I'll be perfectly safe.' When she didn't move he raked a hand through his hair, beginning to pace by the console.

'Then let me come with you.'

'No!' he said, wincing as he heard how forceful his own voice sounded.

'I'4m not just gonna let you go out there on your own. You said it yourself, they are vicious creatures, bent on destruction,' she said, doing a passable impression of him.

The Doctor rocked back and forth, deep in thought. 'Ah... Yes... I do recall saying that, but...' He looked to his shoes. 'You know me Rose,' he continued in a softer tone. 'I have to help. It's who I am. Plus I'm brilliant. And it will be simple, just need to make them realize who they're dealing with and they'll run away like the bullies they are. An hour - two _tops_ – and the three of us'll be gallivanting through time and space again.' He'd been walking towards her while he spoke and now came to a stop just in front of her, bringing his hand up to rest against her stomach.

As he did, Rose felt the baby move. She smiled but it vanished quickly. 'This doesn't feel right,' she murmured.

'We'll go somewhere nice next,' he said quietly. 'Promise.'

'With you drivin'? We'll end up in the middle of a warzone. Again.'

'Oi!' he said, stepping back and dragging his coat from the support strut. 'For _that_ little piece of sarcasm, Rose Tyler,' he gently moved her to one side, 'I'm not bringing you anything back.'

\/\/

He'd been gone for seven hours. An hour or two, he'd said, and he'd been gone for seven.

'Right,' she said, ostensibly talking to her stomach. 'Let's go and find him, shall we?' As she pulled her coat on the time rotor oscillated and the console room lights dimmed. 'Don't you start,' she murmured as she headed for the doors.

She made her way through the forest heading for the village. When she'd been walking for nearly twenty minutes there was an explosion off to the right. 'Sounds like daddy,' she murmured, picking up her pace and moving towards the source of the explosion.

When she finally made it out of the forest she in front of her was a town in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by the large blue trees of the forest. Rose could see a plume of smoke rising from the centre of the town. She could hear sounds of civil unrest coming from the same direction. 'Oh that's definitely where he is,' she muttered, heading purposefully towards the smoke.

He was being held in a town square of sorts, looking annoyed, frustrated and more than a little grubby. His guards were holding him tightly and must have grabbed the back of his coat to waylay him- it was hanging off one shoulder. Rose watched for a moment, her mouth hanging open.

'Take him away and lock him up!' One man – the mayor, judging by his outfit - shouted.

'Stop!' Rose stepped forwards, pushing through the crowd until she was standing beside the Doctor. 'This man is the father of my child!'

'Ah… you wish to punish him yourself?'

'What? No! Our child is about to be born and he must be present. It is the law of our people.' She glanced sideways at the Doctor. 'I thought you were helping these guys?' she hissed.

'I did!' he whispered back furiously.

'And…'

'_And_… I blew up the town hall. A bit.'

'This man is a terrorist!' the mayor shouted, apparently

'You have no idea,' Rose said, shooting the Doctor a dark look.

'I beg your pardon?'

'I mean you have no idea what you're talkin' about. With respect,' she added hastily. 'He's an explosives expert from our planet. Knows all about controlled explosions and stuff.'

'What planet is this?'

'Uh... New Krypton.' She ignored the look of utter disbelief the Doctor sent her, instead focusing on the mayor and attempting to project an air of honesty.

'New... Krypton? You', he asked the Doctor, 'are from Krypton?'

The Doctor blinked. 'Oh, yes. Tall buildings in a single bound, that's me! Always. Well... Might need a _bit_ of a run up. If I'm having an off day.'

'Yeah. An' if you don't let me take him with me you'll be contravening the... Primary directive. A father must be present at the birth of his offspring.'

'He used an explosive device to demolish our town hall!'

'Oh come on! It's still standing!' Behind the Doctor the last wall crumbled, sending out a cloud that covered the crowd in white dust. 'Bits of it,' he continued, barely faltering.

'Please,' Rose said sincerely. 'I'll take him away and you'll never see him again. I promise.'

Just as the man opened his mouth, his expression clearly stating that the Doctor was going nowhere, Kryptonian primary directive or no, Rose felt pain shoot through her. She gasped but kept her eyes on the leader of the group, silently begging him to let them leave.

The man stepped back, eyes widening. 'Release him!'

The Doctor was shoved forwards. Just about managing to maintain his balance, he pulled his overcoat onto his shoulder properly.

'Doctor,' Rose said warningly as he opened his mouth to berate the crowd. 'Run?'

He swept his gaze over her. 'No,' he said quietly. 'Walk. Quickly.'

He took her hand and led her away from the crowd, back the way she'd come. As they reached the edge of the forest he chuckled.

'What?'

'Nothing,' he said, his tone too innocent.

'_Doctor_...'

'It's just... A century of time and space travel and you come out with Krypton?'

She was about to retort when he sobered abruptly. 'What is it?'

'I think our friends have some questions about New Krypton. Like how we can be from there when it doesn't exist. Well... Not for another hundred years or so. I think we'd better get back to the TARDIS. We need to run.'

Rose nodded, but as soon as she went to move the pain rippled through her body again, this time a little stronger. She almost lost her footing and was only kept upright by the Doctor's quick reflexes.

'I can't run,' she said, the words coming out in a whisper.

'You were all for it a minute ago...' he said, looking around for an escape route.

'Yeah but...'

'But what, Rose? What's changed in the two minutes since the town square?'

'The baby… I think it's on its way.'

The Doctor froze, holding her gaze. He knew that the TARDIS was far, too far for Rose to make it to safety before they were found. 'Rose,' he began, but was interrupted by the branch just above his head exploding. He glared at it, clearly offended. 'Shooting at a pregnant woman. That's just-'

'I'll call the TARDIS here,' Rose said desperately.

'What?' he asked, still looking around.

'You know,' she said, 'Bad Wolf.'

He took hold of her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. 'No, Rose. I have no way of knowing what that would do. To you or the baby. No.'

'Then what?' she demanded hotly.

'We need to split up.'


	2. Chapter 2

Rose shook her head, splitting up was definitely a bad idea. Every time they split up something bad happened to them. 'Doctor,' she began, knowing her doubt was showing on her face. She hesitated, not sure what she could say to make him reconsider and let her attempt to bring the TARDIS to them, but looking up at him she could see there was up she sighed. 'Ok. What are we gonna do then?'

She already knew that whatever answer the Doctor gave her she wouldn't like it one bit. She could tell by the look on his face that he didn't like it either, but would go through with it, would make sure she got back to the TARDIS, no matter what it cost him.

'I need you to go back to the TARDIS,' he said quickly, his gaze shifting between the deep forest where she knew the TARDIS was and towards the sound of their pursuers. He looked at her, desperation burning in his eyes. 'Can you get to the TARDIS... course you can, you're Rose Tyler, you can do anything you set your mind to.' He sniffed and nodded decisively.

Rose opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor cut her off. 'I'm going to divert our friends and give you a chance to get to the TARDIS. Don't look at me like that, they won't catch me, I'll be back before you know it.'

'Like you said the last time,' she muttered, knowing it was pointless to argue.

The Doctor either didn't hear or was ignoring her as he wasn't perturbed by her words. He ducked his head so he could look her in the eyes as he gently rested his hands on her shoulders. 'I... I need you to be safe. I need you both to be safe, Rose. I need you to get to the TARDIS, and not argue with me.'

Rose looked at him silently. The Doctor gave a wry, crooked smile. 'I know what I'm doing. Most of the time. Ok, ok…eighty five percent of the time.'

While he'd been speaking he'd been gently propelling her in the direction of the TARDIS. 'Off you go,' he said, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Rose hesitated, considered defying the Doctor and staying with him. But she knew he was right. In her current condition she couldn't help him and she knew the Doctor would worry about her. She gave a short nod, then turned and started to jog.

'I'll know when you're safely in the TARDIS,' he called, gently running his fingers over the mark on his wrist.

Rose's awareness was suddenly flooded with him, the feelings stemming from the mark on the back of her neck, which burned briefly. She kept moving, desperately trying to ignore the twinges she could feel in her stomach.

\/\/

When she reached the TARDIS she had to lean against it for a moment, trying to catch her breath as pain shot through her. She opened the door and practically fell through it, catching herself on the railing and using it to pull herself up the ramp.

She made her way very slowly to the infirmary, barely noticing the lights flickering on as she entered the room. She pulled herself onto the cot, strapping the device she knew to be a heart monitor to her wrist.

\/\/

The Doctor slammed the TARDIS doors behind him, pressing his back against the wood. After a few seconds he ran up the ramp, slipping out of his coat and throwing it at a support strut. Ignoring the thumps he could hear against the doors, he swung the monitor around so he could see it.

'Rose is onboard,' he muttered, reaching out and knocking the dematerialisation lever. 'Never coming here again,' he said, 'ingrates.'

'Doctor?' Rose's voice filled the console room.

He sighed in relief. She sounded ok, scared, but no longer in pain. He reached out and thumbed the intercom. 'I'll be there in a moment.' He flopped back onto the jumpseat and let his head fall back on the cushion. He needed to collect his thoughts. He felt drained, which was unlike him.

'Doctor!' Rose's sounded like she was panicking. Not ok, then.

The Doctor sprung out of the seat, filled with a sudden jolt of energy, and ran towards the infirmary.

Rose was curled in a ball on the cot, shaking. The heart monitor strapped to her wrist was going haywire.

'Rose!' in two quick strides he was standing over her, pulling her gently into a sitting position. He ducked his head so he could get a better look at her. Her face contorted as the pain rippled through her again.

'The pain,' she managed, though it felt like a rock rested on her chest making it hard for her to draw breath. 'It's getting worse.'

The Doctor reached inside his coat and pulled out his sonic screw driver. He scanned her and checked the read out. His face went blank. 'Well... ah... yes... the... the baby is coming. Yep, definitely on its way.'

'I got that, thanks,' she managed, trying to hold herself upright, even though she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a protective ball again.

The Doctor looked dumbstruck. 'I... ah...' he ran his fingers through his hair. He looked lost, and Rose took pity on him.

'I need you to get me to Torchwood. Martha can deliver the baby. I trust her. _We_ can trust her.' Rose had managed to slide off the cot and onto her feet. She reached out and grabbed the Doctor's hand, squeezing slightly too tight. She could see in his features that he was worried. Terrified, even.

The insistent pressure from her fingers snapped the Doctor out of the trance he appeared to have fallen into. 'Right. Let's get a move on shall we? First things first, you get back on that cot.'

'But-'

'No buts, I need you to stay here. You're not going to deliver in the Torchwood infirmary. I also want to keep an eye on you.'

'Martha knows what she's doing,' Rose said reasonably, grimacing as pain shot through her again.

'No,' he said, false brightness sparkling in his tone, 'she doesn't. Not even I know what to expect Rose. ' He stood back, his fingers trailing across her stomach and onto her arm.

When it became apparent he wasn't about to move, Rose said, 'Shouldn't you-'

'Yeah. Yes. Right. I'll just…'

Rose watched as he left the infirmary tension written in every line of his body. She lay back on the cot as she felt the TARDIS engines shift up a gear, changing course and heading for Torchwood.


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor rushed around the console kicking levers and pressing buttons, giving out the odd strategic thwack with the mallet. _Almost there, Rose_, he thought, absently running his fingers over the mark on his wrist.

He brought the monitor around. 'Better let them know we're on our way.' He tapped a few keys on the keyboard, then returned his gaze to the monitor. He continued to dance around the console as the room was filled with the sound of the TARDIS' phone system dialing out.

What if she wasn't at Torchwood? He hadn't even considered that. Strictly speaking she didn't work there anymore. He'd just thought she'd be there since Jack was on Earth currently. Why weren't they _answering_? He was about to try another number, blind panic setting in, when Jack's voice filled the console room.

'Well, this is a-' Jack drawled, but the Doctor cut him off.

'Jack! Is Martha there? Put her on!' The Doctor gripped the console as the TARDIS lurched to the side.

Thankfully, Jack didn't question him, merely put Martha on the line. 'Hello, Doctor? This is a surprise, how-'

The Doctor cut her off. 'Yes it's lovely. We should catch up more, et cetera, et cetera. I need your help. Rose is pregnant – well, in labour, actually - and we need your medical expertise.'

The Doctor waited for a reply but heard nothing. He tapped the keyboard and whacked the side of the monitor. 'Martha! You there?'

'I... I'm here.' she said, her voice almost a whisper. 'How?'

'Long story, which I'd really rather not go into over the phone, if its all the same to you.'

Rose's voice echoed through the intercom. 'Doctor, please... it's getting worse.'

'Nearly there, Rose,' the Doctor said softly. 'Martha, please... We need you now.'

There was a short pause on the phone. 'Ok, where are you?'

'In the TARDIS, en route to Torchwood. Landing in… seventy eight seconds.'

'You're flying the TARDIS while you're on the phone?' Martha asked.

'Handsfree!' he said, stumbling slightly and falling against the console. 'And now really isn't the time to criticize my driving!'

'I'll get everything ready.'

'Dont worry about that,' he said. 'I've got everything you need in the infirmary. Just get yourself outside, I'll be landing by the lift.'

'Hold on,' Martha said. He heard rustling and muffled sounds over the phone, along with the murmur of voices.

'Ok, we'll meet you-' she was cut off mid sentence.

'Who's we?' he said, knowing he sounded angry and not caring. 'Martha, this isn't a Torchwood operation.'

'It's only Jack, he's insisting on coming.'

'Just Jack, then,' the Doctor muttered darkly. 'I've landed.' He severed the connection.

Two minutes later Martha and Jack entered the TARDIS, both looking slightly flushed.

'Come on,' the Doctor ordered. Without waiting for a response he spun on his heel and stalked out of the console room.

Martha and Jack shared a look, then followed after their friend. He was long gone by the time they crossed the console room and reached the corridor – his long stride having carried him much further into the ship. However, they'd both spent enough time in the TARDIS infirmary to know where it should be.

When they reached the infirmary they were greeted by the sight of Rose half sitting, half lying on the cot, clinging to the Doctor.

Martha turned to Jack. 'We need to get her to the hub's infirmary...'

'No…' Rose said, her voice strained.

'Not happening,' the Doctor said softly, running a hand up and down Rose's back. While his voice and his actions were soothing however, he was shooting a death glare at both of them over Rose's head.

'But, Doctor, 'Martha persisted, 'we have the best medical equipment down there.' She looked around the cluttered TARDIS infirmary disparagingly. 'We have all the technology needed in the hub to...'

'The best medical equipment?' the Doctor repeated. 'Terribly sorry, must have missed it when Torchwood acquired medical gadgetry from the 51st, 87th and 15th century. Right you are, Dr Jones.'

'15th?' Jack repeated, eyebrows raised.

'They had some good stuff,' the Doctor shrugged. He paled visibly as Rose grabbed his hand and squeezed, evidently quite hard, but kept his eyes on Martha.

As it became apparent that neither the Doctor nor Martha was going to back down, Jack stepped in and put an arm on Martha's shoulder. 'Martha, we need to help Rose. Look at her.'

Martha followed his gaze and looked at Rose, who looked deathly pale, but was smiling up at the Doctor as he used his free hand to brush her hair back out of her eyes.

'One: we both know that the Doctor has more sophisticated equipment and two: he's never gonna let you take her into the hub. So whaddya say we get this show on the road, huh?'

Martha looked at Rose again then gave a curt nod, recognizing that Jack was right. 'We need to get her on the cot, I need to check her vitals. If you two are staying in here you can help.'

'Yes ma'am,' Jack said, grinning.

Ignoring him, Martha gestured for the Doctor and Jack to ease Rose back onto the cot then moved around to examine her. Sensing the Doctors eyes on her, she checked both Rose's and the baby's heart rate. Both were racing.

She shot an uneasy look towards the Doctor and Jack, 'The baby's in distress, Rose needs to give birth now.' Martha started to move around the cot to talk to Rose when the Doctor stepped towards her.

'I can help,' he said, his tone almost defensive.

'No, you can't.' Rose's voice was barely audible, but he still heard it.

'Rose, I can. Really I can.'

Martha stepped between Rose and the Doctor. 'We've had this argument before, _Doctor.'_

Jack moved a few steps until he was standing just behind the Doctor. 'Let Martha work. She'll take care of them.'

'But I can...' the Doctor started but Jack cut him off.

'I wouldn't trust anyone else with Rose and you know that, 'cos you wouldn't either. You wouldn't be here if that wasn't true. Especially not if you thought you could handle this yourself. Now let her work.'

The Doctor obviously wanted to argue but knew he was outnumbered. He closed his mouth with an almost audible snap then pushed past Jack to the other side of the infirmary. he turned and leaned against a shelf piled high with various medical gadgets, arms crossed over his chest, his expression carefully blank.

Satisfied the the Doctor wasn't going to intefere any more, Martha moved around the cot until she was standing by Rose's legs. 'Ok Rose, I'm jus' gonna check how many centimetres you're dialated.' She shook her head. 'Not quite there yet, we might have to...' Martha was cut off mid-sentence when the Doctor rushed past Jack, almost knocking the captain off his feet.

'Clear the room!' the Doctor said suddenly , his eyes wide.

'What? Why?'

'Can't you feel it?'' the Doctor asked, almost frantic. 'Jack! Surely you can-'

'Oh my god!' Martha breathed. 'Look at Rose!' she backed away from the cot.

The Doctor and Jack stared. Rose was… golden. She seemed to be at the centre of an epanding mist of golden light. A loud bell tolled, somewhere deep within the TARDIS.

'No… no… no…' the Doctor muttered, starting forwards.

Before he could move much more than a step there was a blinding flash of light. When it disappated.

Rose was gone.

'Doctor?' Jack asked, worry written all over his face.

'She'll be back in a moment,' the Doctor said, slipping his glasses on and studying the screen still displaying Rose's vitals. 'I hope.'

'Back?' Martha repeated. 'Where's she gone?'

He turned, studying Martha intensely over the top of his glasses. 'Martha, you've got kids… what – or, more precisely – who do most women experience a sudden need for during childbirth?'

'I dunno,' Martha said, glancing at Jack in confusion. The captain shrugged. 'A midwife? And I don't have kids, Doctor.'

'Don't you? Are you sure?'

'I think I'd remember!'

'Right, course you would. Ignore me. Their mothers.' The Doctor said, as though it was obvious.

'What?' Martha and Jack asked.

'They want their mothers, Martha,' he repeated patiently.

'But Rose's mom is-' Jack began.

'Yep.'

'So Rose is-' Martha said.

'Yep.'

'But she might get stuck!' Jack said.

'Yep. Well… no… she won't get stuck.'

'How can you possibly know that?' Martha demanded, exasperation bleeding into her tone.

The Doctor sniffed. 'Felt the baby. Just before they disappeared. While Rose was… glowing.'

'You felt the baby?'

'Time Lord, Martha. I felt the baby's mind. And she knows she doesn't belong there.'

'The baby's a girl?' Jack asked, willing to be conversational if that was what the Doctor was going with.

'No. Well… yes, actually. But I was talking about Rose. Rose knows she doesn't belong there.' He paused, tilting his head to one side as though listening. 'Three, two, one...'

As the Doctor reached out and pushed Martha away from the cot, Rose reappeared. 'Good to have you back,' he smiled at her.

'I didn't go anywhere!' she gasped.

'Course you didn't. Forward, Dr Jones!' The Doctor said. 'I think we're ready.'

/


	4. Chapter 4

Martha stood stock still, momentarily stunned. Suddenly she felt gentle pressure on her shoulders and looked up to see the Doctor staring down at her, his expression serious.

'Ready?'

She nodded. 'Right,' she said, drawing in a deep breath to psyche herself up. The Doctor returned her nod and stood back, following her as she moved to examine Rose. 'You were right,' she said, glancing up at the Doctor. She looked at Rose. 'This baby is ready to be born, Rose.'

'Well let's get this train moving,' Jack said clapping his hands together.

The Doctor made a dissatisfied noise in his throat. 'Martha, are you sure? Did you check-'

Martha gave him a stern look, effectively cutting him off. 'If you're going to get in my way I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room, Doctor.'

'No, I want him here,' Rose said, her voice hoarse with pain.

The three of them looked up at her. Through the pain evident in her features, they could clearly see the expression on her face that told them she would accept no argument on this point.

Martha glanced between the Doctor and Rose, seeing the latter's expression mirrored on the Time Lord's face. 'Ok, Rose,' she said soothingly. She looked at Jack. 'Looks like you're going to be on your own for a few minutes, Jack.'

The captain directed a huge grin at Rose. 'I wanna know the minute that baby is born,' he said, heading for the door. 'Rose, I'll be rooting for ya.' He gave a short chuckle and left, the infirmary door sliding closed behind him.

Martha glanced at the Doctor. He was standing a little away from the bed, dark eyed trained on the monitor Rose was hooked up to. She couldn't tell whether he was angry or afraid. It was hard enough to read the Doctor's expression at the best of times, and now he was deliberately trying to hide what he felt.

She sighed inwardly, realising that now wasn't the time to press him on it. Glancing at the monitor she saw both Rose and the baby's heart rates had calmed considerably.

She looked at the Doctor again, happy to see he seemed slightly less tense, then turned her attention to Rose. 'Right, Rose, let's do this, shall we?'

Rose nodded and extended a hand to the Doctor. He moved to her side and took her hand, sending Martha a curt nod.

\/\/

As ready as Martha had thought Rose was, the birth still took over three hours. Given that there were no real outward signs that either Rose or the baby were in significant distress, Martha was surprised at how much the other woman appeared to be suffering.

Finally, Martha was stepping back, carrying the baby to the other cot in the room and cleaning her up. She turned back to find the Doctor leaning over Rose, checking her pupils with the sonic screwdriver.

'Is she-' Martha began, starting forwards.

The Doctor straightened, shaking his head. 'She's ok, just unconscious.' He looked up, tearing his eyes from Rose and immediately training them onto the bundle in Martha's arms.

Instantly, Martha held the baby out to him. 'She's fine,' she said softly as the Doctor cradled his daughter. 'Perfectly healthy little girl you've got there, Doctor.'

He nodded, keeping his eyes on the child in his arms. He felt completely dumbstruck. Feeling like an intruder, Martha looked away, busying herself with cleaning Rose up.

The Doctor began to pace the length of the cot slowly, rocking the baby gently. He looked up at Martha. 'Martha, I...'

'It's ok, Doctor,' Martha assured him, raising a hand. 'I would have been the same in your position.' She smiled at him, then glanced down at her patient. 'What about Rose?' she asked.

The Doctor followed her gaze, the worry plainly evident on his face somehow making him look older and younger at the same time. 'It's hard to say,' he said quietly. 'She needs rest. Could be minutes, hours… days.'

Martha looked up at him as his voice broke on the last word. She opened her mouth to speak but was drowned out by Jack's voice coming through the intercom, making her jump.

'Hey, is everything ok? Haven't heard from you guys for hours... Hello?'

The Doctor laughed shortly as Martha rolled her eyes. He nodded towards the intercom, indicating that Martha should activate it. 'Everything's fine, Jack. We're all fine. All four of us.'

'You could have called!' Jack said, sounding scandalised. Apparently picking up on an undercurrent in the Doctor's tone, he added, 'Rose ok?'

'She's resting,' Martha said, smiling at the thankful look the Doctor sent her.

'I'll bet. That baby got a name yet?'

Martha looked at the Doctor quizzically.

The Doctor looked down at the tiny girl in his arms. She stared back up at him, focusing in a way that he was sure wasn't normal for human babies. Or Time Lord infants, come to that. 'We didn't pick a name,' he admitted.

'I'm sure Rose has plenty of ideas,' Jack said, his grin somehow making itself heard through the speakers. 'Doctor Jones, care to join me in the kitchen for a celebratory drink? Wet the baby's head?'

Martha glanced at the Doctor, who nodded. 'On my way.' She checked Rose's vitals one last time, then headed for the door.

As she was about to step out into the corridor the Doctor called out to her. 'Martha?' She turned to see him looking up at her, his expression serious. 'Thank you.'

Martha smiled and nodded, then turned on her heel and headed for the kitchen.

The Doctor sat down gently on one of the infirmary chairs. He could feel his brain wanting to race, feel a thousand different thoughts burning through him, while at the same time feeling enveloped by absolute peace. Holding the baby with one arm, he raised the sonic screwdriver, lowering the lighting level in the room.

'That's better,' he said softly. 'You know,' he murmured to his daughter. 'You're very quiet. Not sure _where_ you get that from. I mean, _I've _never been quiet. And Rose – that's mum, to you – she's got a bit of a gob on her too…'

He looked up at Rose. He wanted to move her, to put her in their bed where she'd be more comfortable, but knew she should stay here. He closed his eyes, concentrating on sending his awareness _in_. Relief surged through him as he recognised that his link with Rose was still active. She was there… barely a murmur, but definitely still herself. Still Rose. 'I hope you wake up soon…'

\/\/

He'd stayed in the infirmary for an hour and forty-seven minutes, watching Rose sleep and feeding their daughter until she too was sound asleep. Knowing he couldn't will Rose to get better faster, he thought it best to leave her in peace. He was restless, and knew that would be transmitting though their link.

Finding the kitchen deserted, he made his way to the console room. Martha was sitting in the jumpseat watching Jack mess around under the console. Rather than disturb them, the Doctor stood in the corridor, watching as Martha laughed at something Jack said.

The console sparked and Jack narrowly missed getting electrocuted. The Doctor snorted his amusement, making Jack look up at him.

'Not funny!' the captain said, as the Doctor made his way into the room.

'And not exactly baby-proof either,' Martha added, grinning.

'The TARDIS?' the Doctor asked. 'Nah… she's as baby-proof as you like.' He eyed Jack critically. 'Just not idiot-proof.'

Jack rolled his eyes as Martha laughed. 'Whatever. Gimme my niece.' At the Doctor's raised eyebrow he added. 'I am so gonna be Uncle Jack. Nothin' you can do about it.'

Stifling his reluctance, the Doctor handed the baby to Jack.

'Make sure you support her head,' Martha said, slipping out of the jumpseat and moving to Jack's side.

'I got this, Martha, thanks. I _have_ held a baby before.' He looked down at the Doctor's daughter. 'Oh you are beautiful, little girl. Lucky you take after your mother. Although, you got your daddy's dimple.' He grinned at the Doctor, who rolled his eyes.

The Doctor became aware that Martha was eyeing him speculatively. 'What?'

'So how does that work, anyway? If you change all the time…'

'Complicated Time Lord genetics,' he responded, pulling the monitor towards himself and slipping his glasses on.

'When he regenerates he becomes a randomisation of all the physical possibilities from his genetic makeup,' Jack said, still speaking in the hushed tone he'd used on the baby. He looked up to find them both staring at him. 'What?'

'How do you know that?' the Doctor asked, sounding more impressed than anything else.

'He's right?' Martha asked.

The Doctor tipped his head to the side, considering. 'Well... it's a _bit _more complicated than that, but close enough.' His eyes dropped to the baby and Jack handed her over.

Martha yawned. 'Sorry, think I need some sleep. I'm gonna head back to the hub.'

Jack nodded. 'I'll be back in a bit,' he said, his eyes on the Doctor.

Martha made her way down the ramp, turning as she reached the doors. 'Doctor?' the Time Lord looked up. 'Congratulations.'

He smiled, 'Thanks.'

As Martha closed the doors behind herself, Jack turned to the console, picking up the wires he'd been messing around with before. The Doctor settled himself in the jumpseat.

'You should get some rest too,' Jack observed.

'When Rose wakes up.'

'You know, there are these things called cribs that allow parents to rest their arms occasionally.'

'I know,' the Doctor said mildly. Unexpectedly, he continued, 'She's been here for two hours and seventeen minutes. I want Rose to hold her before I put her in a cot.'

Jack stared at his friend, tilting his head to one side. 'Yeah,' he said conversationally, 'it's a game changer. Having a kid,' he clarified.

'I've been a father before, Jack.'

'Not like this, I'll bet,' Jack said.

The Doctor ignored him, glancing at the wires in his hand. 'You do know they're for the thermostat in one of the galleries, don't you?'

Jack glanced down at them and shrugged. 'Busy work. I was worried.'

The Doctor smirked and looked back at his daughter. 'Looks like _Uncle Jack's _frozen some very important art.'

'Doctor-' Jack began.

He was cut off as the baby opened her eyes and started to wail. 'Ah,' the Doctor said, rising from the jumpseat. 'Was wondering when that was going to happen. Jack can you-'

Suddenly an alarm started to sound in the console room, competing with the baby's cries. The Doctor peered at the monitor as Jack reached out and took the baby from him.

'Distress signal,' the Doctor said. 'Mauve alert. Someone's calling for help.' He reached out for the lever that would send them to the source of the signal, then hesitated.

'What are you doing?' Jack asked, rocking the baby in an attempt to get her to stop crying.

The Doctor didn't respond, but reached out and hit a key on the console, silencing the alarm. Immediately the baby stopped crying.

'Doc?' Jack asked.

'I'm not going,' the Doctor said, making soothing sounds to the baby.

'What do you mean, you're not going?' Jack asked. 'Someone needs your help. If you're worried about Rose and the baby they can stay with us.'

'In Torchwood?' the Doctor asked, his voice rising in pitch. 'No. Not going. Just this once, let someone else save the day.'

The voice from the corridor startled them. 'There is no one else.'

\/\/


End file.
